How to do the Maragua Crater Hike without a Guide (2024)
Walk on pre-columbian paths, explore amazing geological formations and discover dinosaur footprints…
Hiking in the Cordillera de los Frailes mountanin range near Sucre takes you back in time: From small villages where you still can see the Jal’qa people working their fields with ancient tools, to dinosaur footprints dating back about 65 million years and always surrounded by mountains, of which each one looks like it wants to tell you it’s story through extraordinary geological formations… Read on to find out how to do the maragua crater hike (one of the best hikes near Sucre) without a guide.
The hike is accessible from Sucre by public transportation and starts at Chataquila. From here it descends to Chaunaca, continues through the Maragua crater, visits the dinosaur footprints of Niñu Mayo and ends in the village Potolo, where you can catch a minibus back to Sucre. Though the crater is only one part of this 2 – 3 day hike, it is somehow known as the Maragua Crater Hike, so we’ll follow this naming 🙂
Introduction
The total length of the trek is about 33 km and the highest point is ~3650m. The hike can be done in 2 or in 3 days. We recommend the 3-day version if you get a late start on day 1 (the ride from Sucre is ~1.5h), are not sure about your fitness and acclimatization or just want to spend more time in this beautiful area 🙂 Guess which version we did… yes the 3 days! (Una noche más…)
Both options can be done without carrying a tent and camping gear by sleeping in basic accommodation in the villages, but we recommend to take plenty of snacks and check with the accommodation beforehand if they offer dinner and breakfast and if not also bring it. From what we saw, resupply options are limited to cookies, softdrinks and water and are quite expensive for Bolivian standards (for example 12-15 BOB for 2 liters of water) We brought our camping stove – as we always do for coffee breaks – and for dinner and breakfast in the first night.
The 2 versions of the hike are the following:
- 2-day option:
- Day 1: Chataquila to Maragua – 16.5km, 408m ascend, 980m descent
- Day 2: Maragua to Potolo – 16.5km, 480m ascend, 450m descent
- 3-day option:
- Day 1: Inca trail from Chataquila to Chaunaca – 6.5km, 800m descent
- Day 2: Chaunaca to Maragua – 10km, 360 ascend, 150m descent
- Day 3: Maragua to Potolo – 16.5km, 480m ascent, 450m descent (the same as in the 2-day version)
Interested in doing some more hiking in Bolivia? Read our following posts:
- El Choro Trek Bolivia: How to do it Self-Guided (2024): Next to La Paz, this Inca trek descends from the altiplano to the green yungas.
- How to hike the Condoriri Trek and climb Pico Austria without a Guide: Visit the impressive Condoriri Massif close to La Paz and see Lake Titicaca from Pico Austria (5350m)
- Lagunas de Altura Hike – Sajama National Park Bolivia: Close to the border with Chile, visit the Sajama National Park and it's perfect snow-covered volcanos, lagunas and hot springs.
- Codo de los Andes Hike without Guide: An amazing day hike next to Samaipata. The landscape reminds of Maccu Picchu.Sections of the Maragua Crater Hike
In the following, we’ll describe the sections of the trek. We highly recommend installing an app like maps.me or Mapy.cz on your phone, download the bolivia offline map and make yourself familiar with the trek and the app before you start hiking.
From Sucre to the Trailhead in Chataquila
Take a trufi from Sucre to the trailhead in Chataquila (~1.5h). Trufis are the common bolivian minibusses. They leave from Calle Tomas Frias close to Plaza San Juanillo: Here. Tell the driver you want to go to Chataquila, it should cost 15 BOB per person. In Chataquila, you are dropped next to the small chapel, which is worth a short exploration before starting the hike on the inca trial of chataquila.
From Chataquila to Chaunaca
The hike starts just a few meters behind the chapel (on the road) and follows down a pre-hispanic camino (also known as the inca trail of chataquila) for 6km. Already here, you get a first look of stunning rock formations while the path starts dropping down to the Rio Ravelo Canyon and the village Chaunaca. Once you reach the street, you will have to pay for this section of the hike (20 BOB per person, September 2024).
The center of Chaunaca is supposed to have simple accommodation and a campsite, but we continued a bit further down the canyon to Hotel Samana Wasi. Book through WhatsApp: +59170317982. It’s a friendly place with access to the river. You can either book a room or a tent (15 BOB per person, including tent, mattress & blankets), which is what we did.
They have a restaurant, but you should ask in advance if it’s open. For water – you can fill your water bottle from the filtered water (free? We paid 2 BOB eventually) or buy bottles (10BOB for 2 liters).
If you do the 2-day version of the trek, you will need to continue to walk the next section on the first day.
From Chaunaca to the Maragua Crater
From Chaunaca, you’ll have to follow the gravel-road on the left site of the river until reaching a small suspension bridge. The road part of the hike is a bit boring, but it’s not too long, and after you reached and crossed the bridge, you are rewarded with a beautiful path along a stream, some waterfalls, the amazing colorful layers of the rocks and views over the whole valley. On the way up to the ruins, we lost the path a couple of times (we followed a small path down to the waterfall instead of going more up), so make sure to follow your GPS position on the offline map.
When you reach Maragua, you can and should do a small 15-minute detour to the beautiful Garganta del Diabolo waterfall where you can also see a small cave: Cuevas del Diabolo.
Accomodation in Maragua: We stayed in Nativus Hostel (very basic, 50 Bob per person including simple dinner and breakfast…take enough snacks!). No reservation is needed, but here is their whatsapp +59171413460. Other options are Hostal Samary Wasi or Hospedaje Don Basilo, or other homestays along the main road.
When you have time, you can visit the picturesque cemetery on a hill in the middle of the crater. The cemetery is said to date back to pre-hispanic times, but it is still in use, and sadly, there was a lot of garbage when we visited. Still, the panoramic view of the crater makes it a rewarding visit. Another option is a mirador, about 30 mins walk uphill (haven’t tried).
From Maragua to Potolo
Start early in order to reach the minibus back to Sucre. According to the driver, the last bus should leave Potolo at 17:00 but we suggest aiming for 1 or 2 hours earlier to be safe, as the drive is very winding and shouldn’t be done in the dark.
The walk from Maragua starts along the road and goes up the western wall of the crater. Continue down to Niñu Mayu, where around 100 dinosaur footprints can be found. (The admission is 20 BOB per person). The footprints are preserved in mudstone (wet mud that then solidified), which often was lifted and tilted by tectonic forces so that it appears as if the dinosaurs were walking up or down steep surfaces. Right behind Niñu Mayu, you’ll have to do the last climb of the day before the track heads down in the direction of Potolo.
From Potolo back to Sucre
From Potolo’s main square, regular minibuses start in the direction of Sucre (~2h-2.5h drive-time). Our driver told us they leave once an hour until 17:00. We arrived at the square around 14:00 and the next bus came at ~14:40. The cost is 20 BOB per person.
Map of the Matagua Crater Hike
We will try to add a map of the hike here. In the meantime check this description on wikiloc.
Tips
- Bring an offline map like maps.me or Mapy.cz and get familiar with the trek before you start. There are no markings of the hike, so you’ll need to navigate by the map. Confusing sections were after the 2nd waterfall (after the bridge, day 1/2) and going down after the dinosaur footprints (day 2/3).
- Carry enough water. The area is dry and hot and water can be only bought in the villages (morning or evening). We carried 3 liters per person.
- Bring enough snacks. Even if you get breakfast and dinner in your accommodation: portions might be smaller than you’d expect
- Contact the accommodations before you start the hike and ask about prices and food options
- Use a hat and sunscreen. There is not a lot of shade
Want to get more information on Backpacking in Bolivia in general? Check out our following post: Backpacking Bolivia: Our TipsSummary of the Maragua Crater Hike
This hike was one of our highlights in Bolivia and – in our opinion – is one the best hikes around Sucre. The views, landscapes, and geological formations you pass are just stunning and very diverse.
Even though there are a few parts where you have to walk on gravel roads – which we don’t like so much – you’ll get soon after rewarded by new outstanding landscapes and there is almost no traffic (I think we saw two cars, a school-bus, and one tractor in the 3 days).
If you did this hike without a guide and got comments or additions for this post, please let us know 🙂
Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know that we did this tour without a guide only because of your article! It worked out just as you descriped it and it was easy to do and very beautiful. So thank you very very much for posting this article – it was really helpful to us!